Such Kids
by TheObscureFluffs
Summary: When he learns that a young Knuckles the Echidna has no place to call his own, the young Sonic the Hedgehog decides to take him in. Years pass, and the two grow closer; probably a little closer than they thought they would... (AU, Main!Sonic X Boom!Knuckles)


A young Sonic the Hedgehog sped across the pathway, heading straight for the park. He visited it frequently, though he knew he'd have to hide his speed if he had any hope of playing with the kids there.

As he got to the park, he slowed to a walk and started looking for someone to play with.

Meanwhile, a young Knuckles the Echidna was playing on the monkey bars, giggling happily. Back at this time, rather than the tall buff guy he is now, he was more of a runt.

As he was playing, however, he lost his grip on the bars. He fell to the ground and let out a pained cry. Nobody seemed to notice or come to his aid. He started to sniffle as tears formed in his eyes.

Sonic's ear twitched at the cry. He looked around, then noticed the crying echidna. Without hesitation, he headed over to him and knelt down. "You okay, buddy?" he asked with a small pout. "Got hurt?"

Knuckles nodded, looking up at him with tears in his eyes, sniffling. It was a heartbreaking sight, to say the least.

Sonic saddened, his ears drooping down. "Ah, wait," he muttered. He didn't want to use his speed, but this was important. He revved up, then sped away.

Only a few seconds later, he came back, holding out a small cookie to Knuckles. "Mom made it," he said. "It's a happy cookie."

Knuckles' face brightened a bit. He took the cookie and began to eat it, making cute little "om-nom" sounds as he did.

After he finished, he smiled, wiping his tears with his hand. "Th-thanks."

Sonic smiled, then sat next to him. "Why were you on the bars though?" he asked, pointing up. "You're, um... not really..." He paused and frowned, not wanting to bring up how short the echidna was.

"I wanna be big and strong!" Knuckles replied. "I was trying to make my arms stronger. I guess it didn't work, though..."

"Why?" Sonic asked, tilting his head. "You don't gotta be..."

"But I _do_ gotta be!" Knuckles insisted. "And I _wanna_ be! Then nobody can pick on me anymore!" He saddened as he said this.

Sonic shook his head. "I won't pick on you," he told him plainly.

"R-really?" Knuckles smiled. "Even though I'm a..." He paused, trying to remember the word he'd heard. "...a 'runt'?"

"You're not a runt," Sonic argued. "Just... everyone else is taller." He crossed his arms. "I don't care what you are."

Knuckles smiled even bigger. Then, without any warning, his threw his arms around Sonic.

"I like you," he said, "you're nice."

Sonic giggled. "You're nice too." He hugged back, then pulled away and started looking over Knuckles. "You okay though? Hurt anywhere?"

Knuckles glanced down at his feet and nodded. "My ankle hurts."

Sonic frowned. "Didn't bring any bandages with me..." he said apologetically. "Where's your home?"

Knuckles became sad again. "I, um... I don't have one."

"D-don't have one?" Sonic repeated, shocked. He saddened, then looked off to the side. "...'Kay, I'll take you to my home, but... don't get mad, okay?"

"Why would I be mad?" Knuckles asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Ah..." Sonic looked down nervously. "We gotta get there fast, but... kids don't like my speed," he explained.

"Why not?" Knuckles was surprised. "It's so cool!"

"They think I'll cheat if I play with them." He pointed to his face. "They call me weird; weirdo."

"I don't think you're weird!" Knuckles replied. "I think they're just..." What's that word again? "...jelly?"

Sonic giggled. "Jel-ous?"

He shrugged, picking Knuckles up. "Hang on tight, okay? Don't wanna lose you..."

"O-okay." He grabbed onto Sonic.

Sonic readied himself, then ran off, far away from the park. "Never carried anyone 'fore. You're fine?"

"Eep!" Knuckles yelled out in surprise, clinging to Sonic. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

Sonic sped into his house, then walked into the kitchen, still carrying Knuckles. "Mom?"

A tall purple hedgehog turned to him. "Yes, sweetie?"

Sonic looked down at Knuckles. "Bandages? I can do it!"

The motherly hedgehog smiled softly. "In the bathroom."

"Thank you!" Sonic headed up the stairs and into the bathroom, finally setting Knuckles down. "I'll take care of you, don't worry," he assured.

Knuckles nodded. He trusted Sonic.

Sonic opened a few cupboards, then pulled out a roll of bandages and ointment. "Don't do this a lot. Sorry if I mess up."

He gently rubbed the ointment onto Knuckles' ankle, then wrapped the bandages around it. He probably used too much, but he wanted to make sure.

Knuckles smiled. "Thanks, Sonic."

"Okay now?" Sonic asked, still looking concerned.

"Yeah, I'm okay now," Knuckles replied.

Sonic breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled. "I'm glad."

He sat down with Knuckles, then looked down sadly. "I guess there's nowhere I can take ya, huh?"

Knuckles shook his head. "Nope."

Sonic paused, the gestured his arms outwards. "Then stay here. We can clean you up and you can stay in my room."

"You sure?" Knuckles was happily surprised. "But shouldn't you ask your mom first?"

"She'll say 'yes'," Sonic told him, looking very confident about the fact. "She wouldn't leave a cute guy like you on his own." He touched a finger to Knuckles' nose and giggled.

Knuckles blushed. "C-cute?"

Sonic nodded and laughed. "Ahuh!"

Knuckles blushed even more and giggled softly.

"Here, I'll go tell Mom," Sonic said, promptly rushing out of the bathroom. Only half a minute later, he came back, picking Knuckles up again. "Told ya! Now let's go to my room!" he exclaimed, rushing out the door.

Knuckles still wasn't used to Sonic's speed, so he was startled. However, it was over quickly, and he smiled again.

Once Sonic was in his room, he set Knuckles down. "How is it?" he asked, gesturing to the room around him. "Gotta make sure ya like it."

"It's really nice!" Knuckles replied. "I like it!"

Sonic smiled, then lifted Knuckles onto his bed. "You'll sleep there. We can get you cleaned up and get you a pair of shoes too."

Knuckles snuggled into the bed. "It's so... cozy..." he murmured.

Sonic giggled, gripping the sheets and pulling himself up. "You can stay as long as you want," he said.

Knuckles yawned, his eyes drooping. He hadn't even realized how tired out he was until now.

"Sleepy?" Sonic asked, crawling over to Knuckles' side.

"Mhm..." Knuckles felt himself sinking into the warmth of the bed.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" Sonic tilted his head curiously.

"N-no," Knuckles replied. "Can...can you stay?"

Sonic was slightly confused, but shrugged and laid down next to Knuckles. "Okay. You won't be lonely then," he promised, lightly holding Knuckles' hand.

Knuckles smiled. "Thanks."

He sleepily snuggled closer to Sonic, nuzzling him.

Sonic nuzzled him back. "You're welcome."

He leaned up, lightly kissing Knuckles' head. "That's what Mom does to give me good dreams," he said with an innocent smile.

Knuckles blushed. "Th-thanks."

He kissed Sonic's forehead back. "There, now you'll have good dreams too!"

Sonic blushed in return. "T-thank you too."

He snuggled close to Knuckles. He hadn't been tired, but now that he was so close to echidna and felt his warmth, he started to get sleepy.

He pulled the blanket over them, then fell asleep.

Knuckles fell asleep too, smiling to himself.

And so, Knuckles stayed at the home, just like Sonic said he could. As the years went on, the two grew up, but not apart, continuing to grow closer each and every day. Though Sonic was always the comforter, Knuckles' training and apparent genetics caused him to pass Sonic up in height easily after only a few years.

One thing that never changed was the fact that the two never stopped sleeping together. It had become a regular thing, and while they eventually learned how 'weird' it probably was, it felt almost wrong to sleep in separate beds.

They were inseparable.

Years and years after they met, an older Sonic the Hedgehog came through the front door one day, letting out a soft groan as he favored one leg over the other.

His mother, who was in the kitchen with Knuckles at the time, twitched her ear at the sound and turned to Knuckles. "Did you hear that? Be a dear and go check on Sonic, would you?"

Knuckles nodded. He went over to Sonic.

"You okay?" he asked in concern. "What's wrong?"

Sonic perked up, smiling weakly and leaning against the wall, a blush on his face. "O-oh, nothin'! Just, ah... eheh..." He shifted his gaze away nervously, knowing that Knuckles wouldn't buy it, then sighed. "I sprained my ankle..."

Knuckles frowned. "Aww... here, let me help."

He picked up Sonic and carried him into the kitchen.

"Where did we put the bandages again?" he asked Sonic's mom.

Sonic blushed in Knuckles' hold.

The mother turned to him, then smiled. "In the bathroom," she replied, pointing upstairs.

"Ah, right!"

Knuckles carried Sonic upstairs to the bathroom.

"Let's see... I think these are the right ones." He pulled out the bandages from one of the cupboards. "Okay, let me see your ankle."

Sonic pouted slightly, but reluctantly took his shoe and sock off. "Sorry about this," he muttered. "I really messed it up when I was... ah... exploring," he said, though averting his gaze slightly and blushing.

"It's fine," Knuckles replied with a smile.

He carefully wrapped the bandages around Sonic's ankle, then stepped back and admired his handiwork.

"There!" he said. "Though... you probably shouldn't run until you're feeling better..."

"Aww, no way!" Sonic whined. "But..."

"Sorry," Knuckles replied sadly, "but there's nothing we can do about that."

"...Alright," Sonic said with a sigh, looking down sadly. "'Least it was worth it..."

Knuckles thought for a moment. "I know what'll make you feel better!" he said with a smile.

He picked Sonic back up and carried him into their bedroom.

"Wait right here."

He went downstairs for a minute. When he came back up, he was carrying a plate of cookies.

"Here, have a happy cookie!" he said with a wink.

Sonic chuckled, knowing exactly what he was doing. "Thanks."

He took one of the cookies, then bit into it, though still looking a little down.

Knuckles sat down next to him on the bed, setting the cookie tray down on the nightstand. He wrapped an arm around Sonic and kissed him between the ears.

"Feel better now?" he asked with a grin.

Sonic flushed further, his ears flittering slightly. "Y-yeah, a little. Thanks..."

He paused, then slowly pulled out a small wrapped-up object. "Hey, uh... do you know what day it is?" he asked.

Knuckles put a hand to his chin. "Hmm... I dunno, Tuesday?"

"No... I mean, well, yeah, but..." His voice trailed off, and he sighed before holding out the object. "This is gonna sound dumb, but..." He looked up at Knuckles sheepishly, "it's the anniversary of the day we first met."

"Ohhhh!" Knuckles suddenly remembered. He grinned sheepishly. "Funny how this happened on the same day... only the other way around."

Sonic nodded. "That's how I got my ankle messed up." He unwrapped the object, then showed it to Knuckles. "I found this ancient echidna temple and managed to find this medallion with some sort of echidna markings on it; I twisted my ankle on the way out." He blushed slightly and shrugged. "You've been livin' with hedgehogs for most of your life, so I thought... maybe you'd want something from your own species."

Knuckles gazed at the medallion. "Wow..."

He carefully took it from Sonic's hands. "This...this is so cool! Y-you didn't have to do this for me..."

Sonic smiled at him. "I _wanted_ to. You're my best friend, Knux."

Inwardly, he knew that wasn't true. He had a huge crush on the guy, and everyday it'd get harder not to tell him, especially since they still slept together and he had to wake up seeing his face so close.

Knuckles blushed. "You should've been more careful though," he gently scolded. "Still... thanks. It's a great present!"

He threw his arms around Sonic in a big, warm hug.

Sonic blushed red. "Hey, it's no problem, bud! I just really wanted to get ya somethin'..."

Even though he wanted to, he couldn't quite bring himself to return the hug.

"Is...is something wrong?" Knuckles wasn't sure what it was, but something didn't seem quite right with Sonic.

Sonic shook his head, standing up shakily and getting out of Knuckles' embrace. "N-nothin'. I just got a lot on my mind today," he told him, putting his sock and shoe back on before walking out.

"O-okay..." Knuckles stared sadly after him.

 _What could be bothering him?_ he wondered.

Sonic's mother watched her son leave the room, then headed in herself, walking over to Knuckles and staring at the medallion. "O-oh. I remember him talking to me about finding something like that..."

"I-it's pretty cool, isn't it?" Knuckles set it down on the nightstand, next to the cookie tray, then sighed. "Does he seem a bit sad all of the sudden, or is that just me?"

"...Yeah..." She sighed as well. "He said that he wanted to get you something in case you ever... you know..." She averted her gaze. "…moved out?"

"Moved out?" Knuckles was surprised by this. "But why would I wanna move out? I love it here!"

The light purple hedgehog sat down on the bed, shrugging slightly. "I'm not sure. He didn't say much about it, but it may be because he doesn't think you need him anymore," she replied.

"Wha... of _course_ I still need him!" Knuckles exclaimed. "We've stuck together since forever; I can't imagine life without him!"

"I know. You've been together for a long time now. He's just... confused," she said. "You remember back when you were little kids, right?" she asked, giggling a little at the memory. "When you first came back with your hurt ankle and started staying here, and he wouldn't let you walk anywhere; he'd just carry you around until you felt better?" She smiled softly. "Then he'd always be ready to protect you whenever we went out... but now..." She stood back up and gestured to Knuckles. "Now look at you! Big, strong, and ready to face any challenge!" she exclaimed.

"...He probably misses the past a little, so he feels inadequate. You don't need his protection anymore. I never saw him weight-lifting before, but once he couldn't carry you anymore, I started to see him come home with sore arms, always discouraged; he wants to be able to speed around with you again. You don't really see him get excited about things he sees on his runs because he knows he wouldn't be able to take you there himself..."

"Oh, I see." Knuckles was saddened by what he was hearing. "I wish I could do something to help..."

"It probably doesn't help that he has a crush on you."

She gasped, then quickly covered her mouth and looked away as innocently as she could. "Oh, did I say that?"

"W-wait... he...he does?" Knuckles was stunned. His cheeks flushed red, and he was at a loss for words.

"He's my son; you might not be able to tell, but I see the way he looks at you," she told him, giggling slightly. "It isn't like him, but he's just... insecure about saying anything."

"I-I... wow." Knuckles was silent for a while, deep in thought.

"It's like I said," the hedgehog began, fumbling one of the cookies around in her hand. "He doesn't think you need him anymore, so he just decided to keep it to himself. I mean, you _are_ opposites in a way. You're tall and are more experienced with physical strength in your arms, and he's... well, not quite 'short', but... he puts a lot more use into his legs. He's convinced that any sort of confession will only make things awkward for the two of you, even if you don't just reject him on the spot."

"What do you think I should do?" Knuckles asked.

"Oh, I'm not sure there's anything you can do," she replied. She averted her gaze from him, but a sly smile snuck onto her face. "I mean, you _obviously_ don't feel the same, so…"

"What?! Of course I do!" Knuckles exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He quickly blushed when he realized what he'd said.

She looked back at him, a soft smile on her face. "Then tell him. Your word means everything to him." She got up, then winked at Knuckles before walking away with the plate of cookies.

"T-tell him?"

Knuckles became really nervous as he realized what he had to do. However, he was determined to help make Sonic feel better. So, he took a deep breath, walked out of the bedroom, and looked for his friend.

He eventually found Sonic outside on the porch. It was dark, so it was quiet aside from a few crickets and the sound of the wind.

Sonic became alert at the sound of the door, then stiffened, knowing who it was. "Ah, hey, Knux!" he exclaimed nervously, not turning to face the echidna.

"Hey." Knuckles went over to where Sonic was and sat down next to him. "So, um..." He wasn't sure what to say.

 _How do you even confess to someone?_

"What? Somethin' up?" Sonic asked, giving Knuckles a look of concern.

Knuckles opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. What was he supposed to say?

"W-well, um...I noticed you've been kinda sad lately, and, um... I wanted to help you feel better..."

He took a deep breath. _Here goes..._

Before he could chicken out, he leaned over and kissed Sonic... on the lips.

Sonic flinched at the kiss, his eyes wide as his face flushed red. Was Knuckles _seriously_ kissing him? Why?

Once the kiss broke up, he just stared back at Knuckles in stunned silence, his breath slightly heavy and his heart pounding.

Knuckles glanced away in embarrassment, his face completely flushed.

"Does...does that help at all?" he asked hopefully.

Sonic blinked, snapping back to reality, then nodded his head. "Um, yeah, but..." He pointed to Knuckles, "you..." then to himself. "me..." He couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Is... something wrong?" Knuckles asked, confused.

Sonic quickly shook his head, a big smile suddenly on his face. "Uh, no no, not at all! Ehehe..."

 _Oh geez, please tell me I'm not actually tearing up..._

"So, um... a-are we a thing, then?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic chuckled, hoping he wasn't blushing too badly. "Yeah, of course!"

He paused, quickly wiping his eyes. "As long as you don't tell anyone how mushy I'm about to get."

Without warning, he rushed at Knuckles and hugged him tight, small tears forming in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't," Knuckles replied with a smile.

He happily returned the hug. He was tearing up as well.

Sonic smiled wide, nuzzling Knuckles affectionately. "I love ya, Knux. I didn't know it, but, heh, even as a kid, I think I had some sorta weird connection to ya."

"Really?" Knuckles nuzzled Sonic back. "Me too! It's like we were always meant to be together."

"Well, who are we to argue with fate then?" Sonic asked with a laugh, kissing Knuckles himself this time.

Knuckles kissed him back. He felt butterflies in his stomach, and his heart beat faster as he sank into the kiss.

Sonic felt so crazily happy. He always wanted Knuckles to be his, but he didn't think it'd actually happen.

He pulled away, then twitched his ears up happily. "So, how about we head back inside then, huh?" he asked.

He got up and turned towards the door, only to jump back in surprise, seeing his mother standing in the doorway.

"M-MOM!" he yelped, nearly falling back and down the stairs had he not stabilized himself.

She just smiled at the two, eyebrows raised in a knowing manner. "I'm making pizza to celebrate. Hope you're hungry."

"A-ah—uh..." Sonic stammered as his mother walked right back into the house without waiting for a response.

"...erm..." Sonic's entire face turned bright red.

Knuckles couldn't help but laugh softly at how flustered Sonic was.

"Shall we?" he asked with a smirk, holding his hand out for Sonic to hold.

Sonic covered his face with one hand, then grabbed Knuckles' hand with the other. "Y-yeah, let's go."

The two went inside and ate at the pizza, though unable to help themselves from holding hands with each other. Afterwards, they spent a little more time downstairs before going up into Sonic's room.

Sonic chuckled, climbing onto the bed. "This feels... different, heh..."

"Different how?" Knuckles asked curiously.

"I dunno," Sonic admitted. "Just... now that we're a couple, it feels more... ah, romantic?" he asked, blushing a bit. "We've cuddled and stuff before, but now the idea feels different, y'know?"

Knuckles smiled. "Yeah, I guess it is different now... but in a good way!"

"Oh yeah, for sure!"

He gestured for Knuckles to join him on the bed, then smiled sheepishly. "Just glad I don't have to hide from ya anymore."

Knuckles climbed into bed and snuggled up to Sonic.

"You never had to," he replied, smiling warmly.

"I-I know that now..." Sonic mumbled, shyly hiding his face in Knuckles' chest. "I was just... nervous..."

"I was too," Knuckles admitted. "But everything worked out, didn't it?"

He kissed Sonic between the ears. "G'night, Sonic. I...I love you."

"Mmmm..."

Sonic relaxed against Knuckles, nodding his head as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Love you... too..."


End file.
